Safety device for power-wringers.



A. J. FISHER. SAFETY nnvwn roa rowan wmnenns. APPLICATION FILED JULY 13, 1912.

Patented July 7, 1914.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALVA J'. FISHER, OF EVANSTON, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO HURLEY MACHINE COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR POWEB-WRINGERS.

Specification. of Letters Patent.

Patented July 7, 1914.

Application filed July 13, 1912. Serial No. 709,144.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALVA J. FISHER, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Evanston, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Devices for erator such as may result from having the fingers caught or carried between the rolls of the wringer.

When feeding the clothes on other articles into a wringer, as ordinarily made, it is necessary for the operator with the fingers to introduce an end or part of the garment or article to such position between the rolls as will result in the fabric being caught or pinched by the rolls, and thereby carried be- "tween the same. This operation necessitates that the hands or fingers be brought very close of the rolls, with the attendant danger, especially in the case of small articles of the hands or fingers being caught or pinched between such surfaces and carried with the article between the rolls. Safety devices of this kind are particularly desirable in connection with wringers operated by power, for the obvious reason that the power cannot be shut ofl or the wringer disconnected from the rime mover in time to avoid severe crus ing or mutilation of the fingers or hand,'if the fingers be so caught between the rolls.

The invention consists in the matters herein described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a view in front elevation of a powerwringer with my safety attachment applied thereto; Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation of the same; Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fi 1.

Re erring to the drawings, the powerwringer is secured to and supported upon the wall A of a. wash tub or similar receptacle:

Thevertical frame members C, C, are proto the inwardly moving surfaces vided with slots 0 extending substantially half way downward from their upper extremlties. Extending between said vertical members and near the upper ends of the same is a horizontal bar member B which is held at its ends within the slots C by means of notches d in the inner faces of the slots, and the lugs (1 upon the adjacent surface of said bar member B. Immediately below said bar member B is a tension bar D, the same having its extremities loosely confined within the slots C.

Within the slots C and at the lower extremities thereof are held the rolls E and F, said rolls comprising each a central shaft 0 or f carrying a sleeve or covering of hard vulcanized rubber. The ends of the said shafts are mounted in bearing blocks 6' and f, the same being rectangular in shape and resting within the slots C. The lower roll F is stationary, being held. from downward movement by the contact of its bearing blocks f with the lower extremities of said slots C. The central shaft f of the lower roll F extends outwardly beyond one of the vertical frame members C and carries a small gear wheel f adjacent to said frame member C and a large sprocket wheel G at its extremity. Said sprocket wheel G is adapted to be engaged by a driving chain or the like (not shown) which is connected with the prime mover and transmits the power therefrom to the wringer. The central shaft e of the upper roll E also projects beyond one of the vertical frame members C, and is provided with a gear wheel 6 similar to and meshing with the gear wheel f Immediately above the bearing blocks 6 are sliding blocks h, h, which rest upon the bearing blocks e. Interposed between said sliding blocks h, 71., and the tension bar D are the tension springs H located within the slots O, their function being to exert a constant ressure 0f the upper against the lower roll t rough the medium of the sliding blocks 72., and at the same time permit a limited vertical movement or upward yielding of the upper roll, in order to provide for the varying clothes passing between the rolls. The pressure may be regulated by means of the hand screws I, I which have threaded engagement with the horizontal barB and, extendi-n-g .therethrou'gh', bear upon the tension bar 110 thickness of the articles or D. The wringer, so far as described, is of.

Blocks J, J are rigidly attached to the front 1 and rear faces of the vertical frame mem-- bers C. Mounted upon the said blocks J, J are two pairs of brackets K, K extending outwardly from said blocks. The brackets K, K are provided with horizontal bearing slots Z0, 70. Between the said brackets extends a roller L parallel to the rolls E and F, and having at its extremities bearing studs or pins Z, Z that extend through and are loosely confined in the said slots 79, 70. A similar roller L is mounted at its ends in and extends between the brackets K, K, which latter are provided, in this case, with circular bearing apertures adapted to receive bearing studs or pins Z, Z in the extremities of the roller L. Said roller L has rotative movement only, while the roller L has both rotative and bodily horizontal movement. An endless band of canvas or like material M passes over said rollers L and L and between the upper and lower wringer rolls E and F, and is of a width to include the working portions of the rolls,

' which is the greater portion of their total length. A suitable tension is maintained in the band M by means of tension springs N, shown as having the form of expansively acting, coiled springs, located within the slots 70 of the brackets K, bearing at their.

opposite ends against the studs Z, Z of the roller L and the inner ends of the said slots.

Said springs act to constantly force the said roller in a direction toward the outer ends of the brackets K, K and to maintain the band M suitably taut. Rigidly attached to the inner faces of the blocks J are two pairs of vertical brackets O, 0' extending upwardly and parallel with the vertical frame members C and upon opposite sides thereof. Said vertical brackets O, O are provided with vertical bearing slots 0', 0' at their upper ends. These brackets O, 0 support rollers P, I which are arranged horizon tally above the upper part or top" of the band M, and are provided at their ends with bearing pins or studs p, 10 that rest within the slots 0, 0 and are free to move upwardly and downwardly therein. Said rollers are supported by the contact of the pins p, p with the lower ends of said slots, a short distance above the band M, when the clothes are not passing through the wringer, but are free to rise when the clothes or articles are introduced beneath the same in feeding them between the band M and one of said rollers P or P.

The operation of the safety device in connection with the wringer will now be described. Assuming that the clothes to be wrung are in the wash tub A and therefore of the canvas band M, which carries them to and between the rolls E and F. The friction between the said band and the clothes is sufficient to carry them under the roller P and thence between the rolls E and F, from which they are carried with the band M until they drop from the same into a basket or other receptacle immediately below. The presence of the roller P makes it impossible for the operator to direct the articles any farther than to the said roller P, and consequently the danger of having the hands or fingers caught between the rolls E, F, is eliminated, for obviously the hand will strike the roller P and be prevented from coming in contact with the rolls E and F. The use of the two rollers P and P makes it possible for the wringer to be reversed. In case the direction of rotation of the rolls be reversed, the clothes or articles will first pass beneath the roller P; the clothes being fed into the wringer from the opposite or outer side of the same.

- The construction described not only acts as a safety device but also has the effect of discharging the clothes at a. distance from the rolls, thereby preventing the same from being caught in the operating mechanism and injured. It further prevents the articles from being wrapped about the rolls or the otherwise improper discharge therefrom.

Inasmuch as the details of. construction in a safety device of the character described may be variously changed or modified in practice, I do not desire to be limited to the specific features illustrated, except so far as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention- 1. In a device of the character described, a clothes wringer provided with a frame having wringer rolls mounted thereon, a band passing between said wringer rolls, brackets secured to said frame at one side thereof, said brackets being provided with upwardly extending slots, a safety roller extending between said brackets above said band and having its ends mounted insaid slots, said safety roller being .permitted to have free upward and downward movement above said band, and means located in the path of movement of said safety roller for limiting the downward movement thereof so as to prevent said safety roller from coming in contact with said band.

2. In a device of the character described,

a clothes wringer provided with a frame having wringer rolls mounted therein, an endless belt passing between and below said wringer rolls, rollers adapted to carry said band mounted on said frame at opposite sides thereof and at a distance from said wringer rolls, brackets rigidly secured to said frame at one side thereof and spaced a distance from said wringer rolls, said brackets being provided with vertical slots, the lower ends of which terminate above said band, and a safety roller extending between said brackets above said band and having its ends mounted in said slots, said safety roller being permitted to havefree vertical movement above said band, but maintained slightly above and out of contact with said band when the ends of said roller contact with the lower ends of said slots.

3. In a device of the character describeda clothes wringer provided with a frame embracing a pair of laterally spaced upright members, and wringer rolls extending be tween and having their ends mounted in guide slots in said upright members, an endless band extendingbetween said upright members and passing between and below said wringer rolls, rollers adapted to carry said band mounted on said frame at opposite sides thereof and spaced a distance from said Wringer rolls, pairs of brackets rigidly attached to and extending laterally from said frame and affording bearings for said rollers, one pair of said brackets being provided with horizontal slots, in which the ends of the associated roller are mounted,

and springs on said brackets adapted to force said roller outwardly, therebymaintaining a constant tension on said band, pairs of upright brackets rigidly secured to said frame at each side thereof and spaced a distance from said wringer rollers, said upright brackets being provided with vertical slots the lower ends of which terminate above said band and a safety roller extendingbetween each pair of upright brackets.

above said band and having its ends mounted in said vertical slots, each safety roller beingpermitted to have free vertical movement above said band, but maintained above and out of contact with said band when the ends of said safety roller contact with the lower ends of said vertical slots.

4. In a device of the character described, a clothes wringer provided with wringer rolls, a band passing between said wringer rolls, a safety roller located above said band, means for supporting said safety roller and permitting the same to have free upward and downward movement above said band and means located in the path of movement of said safety roller for limiting the downward movement thereof so as to prevent said safety roller from coming into contact with said band.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my invention I aflix my si nature in the presence of two witnesses, this 10th day of July A. D. 1912.

ALVA J. FISHER.

Witnesses:

CHARLES H. Poona, EUGENE O. WANN. 

